The star appears on the video call and right away launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding truly regretful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she needs to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite predictable. Those familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with the director and featured in together with collaborator the talented actress—can be aware that she has a lot to discuss, be it about roles, sex, or the merits of creating a high-school combat group. And, once you finish the latest eight-part program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries additional perspectives about the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as influences for the project, which details the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the show depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA came—in part—from firsthand, at first difficult, transition to LA and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for enthusiasts. It was a phase that saw her understand some big truths, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting humor while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, performing at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively fixated on having babies; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Individuals who had doubts about her then will surely be kicking themselves today. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a clip called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos juggling the perks of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). One might simple to produce a series about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. The series does neither, resulting in a portrait of privileged millennial living that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant
